12/19/25 - Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan is a nation in Central Asia. It is home to the world's second largest salt water lake, Issyk-Kul.
Kyrgyzstan is a country of great natural beauty with impressive mountains forming the backdrop of the capital city of Bishkek.
The country also has a fascinating history. The Kyrgyz culture has its roots in Turkic history and there has long been a notion of a Kyrgyz people. The first division of Central Asian into something resembling nation states came with Soviet imperialism in the region. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstan became an independent nation in 1991. The fairness of the elections, as well as corruption in the ruling administration came into question leading to the Tulip Revolution in 2005. The revolution resulted in the resignation of president Askar Akayev (who had served as president since the nation gained independce) and a change in the structure of power in the country's government. During the revolution, and in the years since, the nation has shifted back and forth between more presidential, and more parliamentary systems, with other presidents resigning in the face of mass protests.